The Wires (Aug 16, 2007)

Bridge Ratings: Bridge Ratings dot com has just released its latest quarterly growth forecast report for terrestrial radio, HD radio, Internet bitcasting, and podcasting, and the news looks grim for HD radio.

In the latest update, Bridge Ratings' semi-annual update of audience media growth, HD radio growth projections were lowered again in this report, while AM/FM radio attrition is slowing.

"We are estimating that at the conclusion of 2007, monthly Internet radio listening will reach 33% of the U.S. population jumping to 40% by the end of 2008," states the report.

“Among 12-24 year olds, we’re finding that the usage paths of t raditional radio and MP3 players become parallel and not divergent over time,” said Bridge Ratings president and CEO Dave Van Dyke. “‘iPod fatigue’ does exist and most users have a point in time when they become bored with either the downloading and transfer process or the content discovery process. When that happens, they tend to go to radio to help with the decision stress and let radio filter much of the content for them.”

HD radio, on the other hand, is projected to have fewer than 1 million listeners by the start of 2009, a reduction in Bridge Ratings’ previous estimate of 1.07 million, even though consumer awareness of HD radio continues top grow.

The number one response from those who have "little or no interest in HD radio at this time" continues to be "Don't see a need" followed by "Not aware of its benefits."

Meanwhile, Internet radio continues to exhibit growth, with Bridge estimating that monthly Internet radio listening will reach 33% of the U.S. population by the end of 2007, jumping to 40% by the end of 2008.

Podcsating is also experiencing growth, though much more slowly. Sixty-five percent of panelists indicated in this study that they had listened to or viewed a podcast in the 30 days prior to the survey, up from the 62% recorded in an April study with the same panel.

Read the rest at bridgeratings.com

The Clock's Ticking For HD Radio Rules

Randy Dotinga: KAVO and KOW, where art thou? Also: Speaking of call letters, KPRI is on my last nerve for endlessly repeating its promos about how no other station in the world has the same call letters. It's not a bad idea to promote how KPRI is different from the rest, but the promos are repeated so often that they've grown tiresome. Either that or I'm just listening to KPRI too much.

Cox Ad: AT&T Not Ready For TV Service (Aug 15, 2007)

Here's how the ad goes...

"Before thinking about TV service from AT&T, think about this. Say one TV [set] in your house is showing that hot new movie in high definition (HDTV). What happens when someone [else in your house] tries to watch the big game in high defnition on another TV?...

busy signal

Message: ALL HD TV SERVICES ARE IN USE. To watch HD channels, stop HD viewing on a TV receiver.

"That's right. It's like getting a busy signal. When it comes to TV service, it looks like the old phone companies are not quite ready for prime time."

Then it concludes with the viewer to go with the digital experts at Cox.

I saw this ad twice during this morning's rerun of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on FX cable 43. Wonder how many times this ad is being shown on cable per hour. I guess that it's running on every channel that Cox can insert local ad spots during the stopsets on the cable networks.

That would leave AT&T coming into the market very much like spoiled goods, unable to provide the kind of cable service the way a person who's only known cable via traditional broadband has been accustomed to for over 40 years.

As for AT&T having limited bandwidth coming into a house with probably nothing more than a copper wire, does this mean that when an HD show is on one TV, this means that no other TV set sharing the same phone like can get any kind of TV programming, or just another HD channel? This hasn't been clarified in the Cox spots.

Cox also failed to note that when it comes to taping analog cable TV shows on an ordinary VCR or TiVo, AT&T would require the use of a, yes, the dreaded cable decoder box, rendering taping TV shows while you're at work useless. I like to tape, well, Buffy for one, as well as other cable TV shows, OK, like Sabrina or Charmed, anything with hot chicks in the show, that I can get on my VCR easily without a decoder box.

I'm surprised that AT&T still hasn't figured out how to deliver cable TV service without the need of a decoder box. In fact, I see AT&T's way of delivering cable TV service far worse than the way Cox has been doing it for years.

If I can't just plug the cable into the TV and, voila, pictures, then it sucks, and AT&T's cable TV service just plain sucks.

The Wires (Aug 15, 2007)

MSNBC: Don Imus has reached a settlement with CBS over his multimillion-dollar contract and is in negotiations with WABC radio to resume his broadcasting career there.

WFAN announced today that former NFL quarterback and veteran CBS SPORTS broadcaster Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, host of the nation’s most listened to afternoon FM talk radio program, have been named as hosts of BOOMER AND CARTON IN THE MORNING, to be broadcast weekday mornings (6:00-10:00AM) on Sports Radio 66 WFAN and online at www.wfan.com

Happy Hare: No one else knew it then, but here I am revealing it 36 years later, that Buzz Bennett, the PD of rival KGB, was holding secret meetings with Casper, telling him that he could bring in five fine jocks for much less money than I wanted. Casper jumped at it. To his credit, Dick Casper tipped me off about his agreement with Buzz, prepping me for my fateful meeting with him. Armed with this foreknowledge, I had girded my loins for the firing, and managed to weather Bennett’s five second purge with great aplomb. Of course, I felt a sense of loss and a feeling that I had been an idiot for demanding money a doubling of my salary. But it was done, and now what?

Wake Up Or Pay Up: 13,000 Radio Stations Invoiced! It is time for radio stations across the U.S. to cough up anywhere from 10% to 35% of their gross annual revenues to the RIAA in the form of a new performance “tax” and some 13,000 invoices are in the mail. The attention-grabbing fliers ought to be arriving now via U.S. Post and they offer a list of “key points to make with your member of Congress” including reminding them that imposing a new performance fee on local radio “would radically alter the balanced, fair system that has worked well for broadcasters, artists, composers and the recording labels for many years.”

Van Halen Announce Tour (Aug 14, 2007)

At a press conference, original members Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and David Lee Roth, along with Eddie's son Wolfgang, who is taking the place of original bassist Michael Anthony, announced the band's first tour in 22 years.

The first leg will be on September 27th in Charlotte, and end December 11th in Calgary.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday.

"This is not a reunion," said Roth. "This is a whole new band."

"It is totally blowing our minds and I think it will yours, too," said Eddie Van Halen. "It's better than it's ever been."

Wolfgang Van Halen, 16, brings "a young energy and a spirit" to the band, Roth said, adding that the teenage rocker chose the tour's song list, which features "close to 25 of your greatest hits."

In San Diego, they will play at the Cox Arena on November 25th.

Show Me "Mommy's Broken MegaMix!"

Alright! 35 people voted it the #2 story of the day!

Tanny Featured on Another "Stupid" Album (Aug 13, 2007)

But this time, it's not a "Stupid Audio" release.

Rather, it's part of a "Stupid Video Game" rerelease.

Tim Crist, aka "ShoeBox", the man behind the novelty music act "Worm Quartet" is re-releasing his remastered 2001 comedy album that first took the nation by storm, and adding eight new bonus tracks to boot.

The last track, #35, is "Mommy's Broken (David Tanny Mega-Mix)", which is a four-minute mix of several of ShoeBox's short bits that are usually interwoven into his CDs set to a techno background music.

The re-release of Worm Quartet's second album, remastered to nigh-listenability (courtesy of Tom Rockwell of Sudden Death) with eight bonus tracks, new art (by Tom Rockwell and ShoeBox) and a secret bonus game thingy (for PC and Mac, again courtesy of Mr. "Fifth Worm" Rockwell) is finally available for pre-order!

The cover is reminiscent of the latter-day Atari video game cartridge releases. Check it out here.

http://www.flamingmayo.com/wormquartet/wq-svgm-desc.htm

The expected release date is August 17th - all pre-orders will get a free extra surprise bonus item!

Check out the kickass new art and pre-order for a mere $9.99 at http://www.wormquartet.com/wqstuff.htm

Released, naturally, by FIDIM Interactive, your source for the best in Dementia since recently.

Show Me "Van Halen!"

Alright! 5150 people voted it the #1 story of the day!

VAN HALEN Reunion Tour Press Conference To Air On XM RADIO (Aug 13, 2007)

VAN HALEN will announce its reunion tour with David Lee Roth on Monday (Aug. 13) at 11:00 a.m. PST during a media event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. The tour is expected to begin in October and encompass 50 dates in North American arenas. The trek will feature founding VAN HALEN members David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen, with Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass.

VAN HALEN last toured in 2004 with vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Wolfgang Van Halen, the projected replacement for VH bassist Michael Anthony, told People magazine in April 2007 that he wasn't disappointed there wasn¢t' going to be a VAN HALEN tour this summer following his father's decision to check himself into rehab. "My dad's taking care of himself," he said. "I also think I'm too young for the experience, because I know there are a lot of bad things out there."

Eddie Van Halen issued a statement addressed to fans in early March announcing that he was seeking treatment because "at the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best.

"That's why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110 percent that I feel I owe you and want to give you," the statement said.

Back in January, Eddie Van Halen told Rolling Stone magazine about Wolfgang, "Wait until you hear this kid play. I pick him up from school every day and we jam. We've got a shredding bass player now that's laying down the law for Alex [Van Halen, drums], so I get to weave in and out."

VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March.

Just In...Merv Grifffin Dies (9am, Aug 12, 2007)